Giving Salespeople Their Marching Orders

How does your company give its salespeople their marching orders? Do these discussions take place before your salespeople leave on a business trip, while they’re visiting customers, or once they return from a long, hard trip? Well, most companies give salespeople their objectives at the beginning of the year. They may then tweak them during a given month or quarter, but for the most part, their objectives are well understood at the outset of a new year. The hope is that the sales team will be incentivized enough to identify and close on all opportunities. However, how do you track their performance while they’re in the field?

Unfortunately, reviewing progress at the end of a business trip does little to ensure that the salesperson is properly on track. Of course, there’s always the possibility of making calls in-between customer visits. Unfortunately, this not only takes time, but it typically only covers specific customer topics; it does nothing to help the salesperson understand issues pertaining to order fulfillment, delivery schedules, current inventory counts, and finished goods availability. In essence, your sales team needs real-time data. This is where your enterprise mobility solutions come into play. When your salespeople have access to rugged handheld computers, they don’t waste any time calling the office and you, as their manager, need not worry about what they’re doing.

Using Your Enterprise Mobility Platform

Even the best salespeople need guidance now and then. Even the best salespeople need help. Unfortunately, being on the road is difficult enough as it is. Delays are costly, as is inaccurate information. Those delays often mean the difference between business won or lost. Calling the head office for information, information that should easily be accessible via a mobile device, is no way to get the best from your sales team, and no way for you to manage that team. So, what can you expect once you give your entire sales team rugged handheld computers, ones that keep them, and you, constantly in the know?

Goal Tracking: As a sales manager, your job is to measure your team’s performance in attaining the company’s goals. Getting updates in real-time allows you to better manage your entire sales team, while keeping tabs on the performance of each individual salesperson.

Improved Gross Profit: Can an argument be made that your company’s enterprise mobility network can help you increase gross profit? Well, if those mobile devices help your salespeople sell inventory faster, then “yes,” they can. You’ll increase gross profit because you’ll reduce your carrying costs of inventory. Higher turnover rates mean less carrying costs, and less issues pertaining to damage and obsolescence.

Improved Competition: There’s nothing wrong with a little competition between salespeople. Your mobile devices will immediately update your sales team about product availability, empowering them to make a deal. Creating a little competition between salespeople is healthy, and it keeps you in control.

Maintaining That Sense of Urgency: Now, the intention isn’t to imply that you should teach your salespeople to push for an order when the client isn’t ready. However, salespeople always perform better when they have to sell product. It forces them to fill their sales pipeline with opportunities. Maintaining a sense of urgency can be accomplished by constantly updating them on product availability through their mobile devices. This in turn will help keep that sales pipeline full and maintain that all-important sense of urgency.

Managing a sales force is fraught with issues. It’s not merely about business development, but ultimately about ensuring that each salesperson is focused on the company’s goal of increased market share. Your enterprise mobility solutions can be used to keep your salespeople on track. That time away from the office need not inhibit your ability to manage your sales team effectively. In fact, with the right mobility solution, it can help you make your best salespeople even better, and allow you to spend more time on those salespeople who need your help.